Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 31st July 2025. Forward were 125 cattle and 1149 sheep.
56 Prime Bulls sold to 427ppk or £3360
17 Prime Steers sold to 454ppk or £3098
52 Prime Heifers sold to 496ppk or £3061
1100 Prime Lambs sold to 446ppk or £230
49 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £220
Prime Bulls (56) – Numbers short across all sections as the harvest takes priority around the region, those with bulls forward benefitted as the demand outstripped supply to see a sharp trade bring about a £100 per head rise for all shapes and sizes; the sale average returned at 370ppk and £2639. Leicestershire led the way in the pence per kilo section as a cracking Limousin from D L & R L Burns, Lodge Farm set the pace at an excellent 427 pence. Nine other bulls sold in the 400’s including a brilliant British Blonde from J J Horn, Bushy Park at 415ppk and two at 410ppk hailing from P J & E S Rogerson, Great Asby and another from the Burns’s of Lodge Farm. Eleven bulls bludgeoned their way over £3000, six of which belonged to local feeders A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange who topped them all with a cracking 15-month-old 838kg Charollais selling for £3360. A well finished run of bulls from J A & M Boyes Ltd, Strathmore House dominated the native breeds when they produced Herefords to a top of 406ppk and £2858. A marvellous Montbeliarde from C H & S E Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm stood out in the dairy bull beef when he sold for an impressive 330ppk and £2461. Below are a handful of the days top pen averages.
P J & E S Rogerson sold 4 average 400ppk and £3002
D R & R L Burns sold 4 average 400ppk and £2599
W A Wardman Ltd sold 4 average 393ppk and £2887
A G Watson & Sons sold 8 average 388ppk and £3109
J J Horn sold 2 average 386ppk and £2882
Continental Bulls Leading PPK – 427 410 395 376 D R & R L Burns. 415 J J Horn. 410 400 397 395 P J & E S Rogerson. 401 400 393 388 387 384 381 A G Watson & Sons. 401 J K & C E Farming. 400 D Robertson. 399 397 389 388 W A Wardman Ltd. 397 387 C H & S E Armstrong. 390 Reed & Hill. 388 J C & P Tallentire.
Native Bulls Leading PPK – 406 379 356 J A & M Boyes Ltd. 340(x2) W D Allen. 340 D Robertson.
Dairy Bulls Leading PPK – 330 C H & S E Armstrong. 308 D Walker. 300 G W Dobson & Son. 286 R Hall & Son.
Continental Bulls Leading Gross – £3360 £3188 £3165 £3144 £3104 £3038 £2971 £2898 A G Watson & Sons. £3120 £3033 £2928 £2926 P J & E S Rogerson. £3092 £3013 £2769 £2673 W A Wardman Ltd. £3057 Reed & Hill. £2946 £2818 £2755 £2693 C H & S E Armstrong. J J Horn. £2934 D R & R L Burns. £2831 J K & C E Farming. £2704 J A & M Boyes Ltd.
Native Bulls Leading Gross – £2858 £2588 £2584 J A & M Boyes Ltd. £2346 D Robertson. £2223 £2121 W D Allen.
Dairy Bulls Leading Gross – £2461 C H & S E Armstrong. £2049 G W Dobson & Son. £1992 D Walker. £1827 R Hall & Son.
Clean Cattle (69) – Heifer or steer, they changed gear, tight numbers brought about a monumental trade with trade up 20 if not 30 pence per kilo to see the heifers average an enormous 438ppk and £2607 and the steers a terrific 410ppk and £2726. A red-letter day for Nottinghamshire based P R & V Barlow & Son, Sycamore Farm as they turned out the top four prices per kilo with their sensational Limousin heifers, pick of the pack at a staggering 496 pence was a 557kg cracker which sold to H Taylor & Sons Butchers, Darlington. The brilliant Barlow’s followed at 495ppk plus 488ppk and 484ppk with local feeders R Hirst and T W Clark & Son hot on their heels both at 480ppk. Behind these a further seven heifers sold in the 470’s and eleven in the 460’s as the butchers choice beef returned to extreme rates not witnessed for a while. More magic from the midlands topped the steers per kilo as D R & R L Burns of Lodge Farm continued their success from the bull ring to top the steers list with a handy weight Limousin at 454 pence; behind the Burns followed a stunning run from Five Houses with five bullocks between 431ppk and 446ppk. Gross values were noticeably higher, none bettered a thick fleshed 752kg British Blue steer from R A & B A Ridley & Son Ltd, Dipton Foot when he sold for £3098. Top gross value in the heifers went to Durham and the good feeding of T W Clark & Son, Frankland Farm with a 657kg Limousin at £3061, mention must also go top the top native today which was a super South Devon heifer from W F Hustwit, Morden Southside Farm at 724kg and a pleasing £2953. Some sensational pen averages are listed below.
P R & V Barlow & Son sold 7 average 483ppk and £2825
T W Clark & Son sold 3 average 469ppk and £2849
R Hirst sold 11 average 459ppk and £2645
F W Robson sold 5 average 453ppk and £2676
Five Houses sold 11 average 440ppk and £2785
D R & R L Burns sold 3 average 438ppk and £2517
Steers Leading PPK – 454 429 D R & R L Burns. 446 440(x2) 438 421 428 427 Five Houses. 414 Anthony Swinbank & Son. 412 400 R A & B A Ridley & Son.
Steers Leading Gross – £3098 £2899 £2736 £2662 £2620 R A & B A Ridley & Son. £2890 £2854 £2839 £2827 £2768 £2701 £2606 Five Houses. £2672 D R & R L Burns.
Heifers Leading PPK – 496 495 488 484 479 476 468 P R & V Barlow & Son. 480 466 464 T W Clark & Son. 480 475 474 466(x2) 459 456 450 R Hirst. 478 477 474 468 W F Hustwit. 468 460 Five Houses. 466 460(x2) F W Robson.
Heifers Leading Gross – £3061 £2860 T W Clark & Son. £2953 £2877 £2822 £2691 W F Hustwit. £2923 £2879 £2850 £2840 £2812 £2762 £2707 P R & V Barlow. £2896 £2887 £2737 Five Houses. £2776 £2758 £2716 £2704 £2686 R Hirst. £2759 W E & C A Anderson. £2735 £2723 £2718 F W Robson.
Prime Lambs (1100) – The fittest fed lambs end July on a high as the £200 plus club willingly accepts another fifty head and over two-hundred sold over 400ppk to leave a sale average of 367ppk and £164.69 per head. Top per kilo at 446 pence were a fine pair of 45kg Texels from Steve Hugill at Wytherstone Farm, Skiplam, following at 444ppk were five at 43kg from A W Dixon, West Heddon Farm who also claimed third place with four at 47kg and 438ppk. Top price per head went to a wonderful 58kg Texel lamb from I R Appleton, Pudding Poke Farm at £230, the same good home followed with 56kg Suffolks at £226 ahead of a thumping 60kg Texel from D & P H Brown, Cordilleras at £218. Heavy lambs are very much in demand; the coin lies in the loin. Weighed straight, every kilo matters, that’s clear by the leading averages listed below.
M & A Gaskin sold 15 average £197.33 (49kg)
J R Knox & Son sold 24 average £195.00 (49kg)
W A Wardman Ltd sold 25 average £194.16 (47kg)
T Lawson & Son sold 17 average £189.12 (50kg)
J E Suddes & Son sold 33 average £188.88 (46kg)
J Milbank & Sons sold 38 average £188.66 (48kg)
I & A Holmes sold 33 average £188.64 (47kg)
D & P H Brown sold 14 average £186.00 (47kg)
W & M Knaggs & Son sold 23 average £185.96 (45kg)
Lambs- Top Prices PPK 446 418 404 Wytherstone Farm. 444 438 408 407 404 397 395 AW Dixon. 435 420 D Barron. 433 Gillian I’Anson. 430 424 416 413 x2 404 JE Suddes & Son. 425 418 406 400 x2 I&A Holmes. 422 419 412 400 W&M Knaggs & Son. 420 402 R Lawson & Son. 416 JR Knox & Son. 414 T Lawson & Son. 413 Anthony Swinbank. 412 406 D&PH Brown. 410 C Binks & Son. 408 406 402 WA Wardman LTD. 403 M&A Gaskin. 403 396 IR Appleton. 400 ME Bell. 400 J&RA Speed. 398 J Milbank & Sons. 397 RA Patterson & Son. 397 JV Hodgson & Son. 397 x2 EA Bennett. 395 BR&RI Routledge.
Lead Grossing Lambs- £230 £226 IR Appleton. £218 £194 D&PH Brown. £206 £196 £191 x2 AW Dixon. £206 M&A Gaskin. £205 £200 £195 £189 £188 x2 I&A Holmes. £205 £201 £190 Wytherstone Farm. £203 £197 £187 T Lawson & Son. £200 £197 £190 W&M Knaggs & Son. £200 £190 JR Knox & Son. £200 £198 x2 £191 £190 x2 JE Suddes & Son. £197 £195 Gillian I’Anson. £197 ACM Spalding. £196 £189 £187 WA Wardman LTD. £195 £191 J Milbank & Sons. £193 G Thompson & Sons. £192 G Bolton. £191 RA Patterson & Son. £191 EA Bennett. £191 JV Hodgson & Son. £189 C Binks & Son. £189 R Lawson & Son. £189 D Barron. £188 GP&A Carter. £187 WKMM Lamb.
Cast Ewes & Rams (49) – Following a large show of feeding ewes last Monday the section was depleted today, the same story applies as the thick meat is very easy to sell. The sale averaged £120.96, top spot went to T Lawson & Son, Sands Farm with an excellent Texel ewe, best of the Mule ewes at £145 were a quartet from J Milbank & Sons, Gayles Fields.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep- £220 £160 x2 T Lawson & Son. £180 £172 £166 £150 £130 P Foster. £170 PRE Marwood. £170 J&RA Speed. £145 J Milbank & Sons. £140 £130 RA Patterson. £140 x2 JA&A Herbert. £140 JV Hodgson & Son. £130 DR Smith. £130 £120 RG McNeal. £120 GP&A Carter.
